The Red Fire Lily
by Shelly 4686
Summary: AU. Zuko, a great general for the Fire Nation, had everything – a wife,and his beautiful four year old daughter. Abandoning an important mission, he and three other men are ordered to be put to death. This is how Ai handles the night. For jennibare!


**Author's Note: Once again! Not new to fanfiction. Been here for… since I was in fourth grade… so about five years! I want to thank ****jennibare**** for all her stories! They completely inspired me! :)  
Hope you enjoy! BYEE! Note… this is mainly based off of the child of Zuko and Katara… so yah… **

**Summary: AU. Zuko, a great general for the Fire Nation, had everything – a wife, a good home, and his beautiful four year old daughter. Abandoning an important mission, he and three other men are ordered to be put to death. Watch how Little Ai handles the day before his death.**

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"Zuko, what are we – what am I going to do?" Her voice remained stable even though the sobs sounded after her desperate question. "What will I do with- with…," Her mind didn't even want to register the horrible reality.

"When –," he paused as he brought Katara closer to himself. "When I'm gone, you'll still have Ai." Zuko wanted to cry. He wanted so badly to let the tears fall off his cheeks unto the floor, but his little girl was going to be coming down soon, with her red, black sleeping robe and her dolphin slippers from Ember Island that she always wore to bed. She always asked for a story. A happy or sad story before bed.

Before they could continue their silent talk, they heard the small steps of their beautiful four year old daughter, Ai. Zuko was better at hiding his sadness from his little angel, but Katara needed a lot more work on convincing her girl.

"Mommy, why are you crying?" Ai walked happily toward her parents, completely unaware of the future her father held.

"No reason, Ai. Mommy just has a piece of dust in her eye," Katara lied.

Believing her mother's words, she turned to her daddy saying, "Daddy, will you tell us a story now?"

"Yes my baby girl. What kind of story would you like to hear?"

Her eyes squinted while her nose scrunched, and she climbed into her mother's lap. "Ai wants a sad story, daddy!"

Zuko licked his lips as he thought of what to say. Taking in a deep breath, he began his tragic story.

"There were four generals. And they were given a mission to kill and invade an innocent village." Katara knew where the story was heading and tears started to fill her eyes once again.

"Mommy, don't cry! The story will be happy soon! You see! Go, daddy."

"Well, they decided to go against the mission, not wanting to kill people or start another war. They refused and ordered their men back to base." Katara hugged him tighter, wanting him to stop; but she refused to go against Ai's last story request. Ai sat comfortably on Katara's lap, smiling.

"Daddy, what happens?"

"After they returned home, the Fire Lord commanded for their presence in his palace. Once the four men arrived, they were ordered to be killed. All four of them."

"Mommy, please stop crying."

"I will try, hun."

Zuko continued, "They allowed the four men to go home and say goodbye to their families before the soldiers will come and take them away. But right before the men were let go, the Fire Lord himself gave them an offer. He said that out of the four men, they will choose one who will go for them and die."

A knock interrupted the story.

Katara cried, not wanting to let go of her love. She knew who stood behind their door.

"Ai, go upstairs sweetie." Zuko persuaded her. Her tears started to build up.

"But Daddy! We didn't finish the story."

He wanted so badly to say that he would finish it when he got home, but he knew better than to lie to her. "Your mother will finish it later." And he opened the door to see three soldiers in front of him. His own men. They sent his own men to arrest him.

"Now go on, hun. I'll be up soon." Katara encouraged her daughter.

"Okay." Before she left she turned to the soldiers outside of her own home. "Bring daddy back home soon so Mommy could finish the story when he's home! Goodnight" And she ran up to her room.

Zuko held his hand up; assuring them he would come in peace. The soldiers knew him well, and in truth hated the orders given to them. They watched as their beloved general kissed his wife with the sweetest kiss they've ever seen. They knew it would be the last. And once the couple let each other go, Zuko was escorted into the palace of the Fire Lord.

**POV of Ai.**

Daddy was taken by those men. I don't understand why people are so scared of them, but Ai is no scared by the boys with guns.

Mommy was getting worse within the day, and Daddy didn't return yet. Is that why Mommy isn't feeling well? Because Daddy isn't here? Maybe Ai will go get him!

**Regular POV**

Ai walked through the warm empty streets of the Fire Nation. She knew she wouldn't get lost. Her father always explained to her the main roads inthe Fire Nation. She just looked at the huge palace straight ahead of her; and she knew where to go.

"So, have you chosen which one of you will die?" The stern voice of the Fire Lord echoed in his meeting room.

Not a man in the room spoke. It was dangerously silent as the minutes passed away, until a man stepped forward, asking permission to speak. "Ahh, yes. General Zuko, what will you say to be done?"

"Fire Lord," He gulped down his nervousness. He didn't want to show fear – or was that anger? "We have decided that all will die in your presence."

The Fire Lord's eyes started to furrow into anger. And his mouth opened ready to shout. "I gave each one of you a gift! And neither one of you chose to accept it! I am appalled by your behaviors! I will choose one man for you then!" His scream echoed within his palace walls. And the guards flinched when their royal highness pointed at them, "Arrest them! And put them in the prison holes! We'll have someone choose their destiny."

The guards took the four men away from the Fire Lord. He wasn't a horrible man; he just wanted to finally be happy. He wanted to be understood. The Fire Lord shook his anger from his mind and turned to his royal guards, "Get a child outside of these walls and bring them here. They will choose the fate of these men." One guard left to do the duty.

"Fire Lord, why must they die? You said so yourself that you didn't want to go ahead with the mission." His number one guard told him.

"Because I must show that I am not weak. I must show –," He was interrupted.

"We will be losing one of our best Generals! There is General Sokka, who brought our nation at peace with the Water Tribes, both at the North Pole and South." The Fire Lord knew of the accomplishments of these men, but he refused for the elders to think of him as weak. The guard continued, "We could lose Jet. A general with the best strategies that made it into the history books of our children. He has protected us for the past battles with his amazing skill."

The Fire Lord wanted no more from the man beside him, but he didn't stop him.

"General Aang. He helped us gain peace with the Earth Kingdoms and Air Temples! And General Zuko."

The Lord himself didn't need to be reminded of this certain general. He was an amazing person himself. A man loyal to his family, to his wife and daughter. To his nation. He gave the Fire Nation its honor back after the one hundred year war. Gave the seating of the Fire Lord to his uncle, who passed three years after the peace that was established; and with no heir to the throne, the people choose a man who had no royalty in his blood.

"I have chosen that one will die. I'm sorry." The Fire Lord sighed.

"Then, brother, that will be your mistake." The guard angrily said.

Silence filled the room as the guards opened the door. "Your highness, you asked for a child?"

Ai stood their smiling. She's never seen the inside of the palace. Only in her coloring books. Then she saw the man who was feared by all the people on the street. And she pointed to him, opened her mouth, and said, "Ai knows you! You are the big men that everyone is scared of in the town." The Fire Lord's eyes softened at the girl in front of him.

"Am I feared by all people?" The little girl nodded her head.

"But not to Ai!" She pointed to herself. "Ai saw you on your carnation, walking your streets."

The Fire Lord laughed a hearty laugh. "Ai means, 'Coronation' not carnation."

Ai giggled at her mistake although she was pretty sure she was the correct one. "Does Fire Lord remember Ai?" She smiled hoping that he would remember her.

The Fire Lord shook his head, and her mouth turned into a pout. "Ai remembers you!" She crossed her arms and faced away from him.

"Oh, I'm sorry," He moved to be her height, "there are so many people on the streets. Will Ai forgive me?"

"Ai forgives everyone. But you owe Ai!"

The Fire Lord nodded and raised his hand to show her honor, "I will give Ai whatever she commands." And without any notice, Ai hugged the man in front of her. At first he was shocked but slowly he moved as so to hug her back.

He always wanted a girl. Always wanted to have children, but to his dismay his wife hadn't been able to give him what they both wanted. So he cherished the moment he had with the young girl at his presence. Once recognizing that time was slipping away from him, he pulled away and gestured for his brother to come forward.

"Brother, bring her to the men." He turned back to the girl, "I need you to do something for me."

She nodded in understanding to what he said.

"So Sokka, you said goodbye to Suki?" Aang's voice echoed around the prison hole. The four of them were kneeling facing the wall, hands tied behind their backs. They didn't know how they will be chosen, but none of them feared what was coming ahead.

"Yeah, how 'bout Toph?" Aang nodded in dismay. Sokka turned his head to Jet. "Haven't heard from you in a while."

Jet shrugged, "I got married to a Fire Nation girl. I never thought I would." The other three men laughed.

"Zuko, How did my sister handle it," Sokka asked, not wanting to raise his eyes to his brother-in-law.

He shook his head, "I don't know how things will carry on. She's so fragile especially with Ai." Zuko was the only one of the four with a family.

"If anything, I hope it won't be you, Zuko" Sokka and Jet nodded agreement with Aang's statement. "How did Ai take it?"

Zuko sighed, "I didn't tell her. I didn't want her to lose her smile." He smiled as he remembered his wife and child, "I miss them so much already."

"So I just have to hand out these?" Ai walked side by side with the guard that the Fire Lord told her to go with. She was curious as to where they found these. "Sir?" The guard looked down to his companion, "Ai know where you got the white Fire Lilies, but where did you get the red one?" She held up three white ones and the one red. She thought that the red one was really pretty; it reminded her of her mother. She knew Daddy would love it, if he was here.

"It's a secret little one." They walked into the prison hole.

Guards surrounded the whole entire room with guns in hand. And Ai started to get frightened, but the big guard behind her rested his hand on her shoulder, and her fear disappeared. "Okay, just give each one of those men whatever lily you want to give them." Ai nodded her head to him and walked forward.

She walked slowly toward the four kneeling men.

Sokka saw her first, "Ai?"

The men beside him looked behind themselves. Zuko's eyes widened, "No…"

She first started to her left and saw Sokka. Her eyes lit, "Uncle Sokka! Here! I give you the white one!" His head bowed both in anxiousness and relief. "Uncle Aang! Uncle Jet!" Her eyes finally landed on her father. "Daddy!"

Quickly she handed Aang and Jet their lilies.

Aang looked at them first, "No… Ai." His eyes closed and he bowed his head. Jet sighed, not in relief but in complete sorrow.

"Daddy, Ai saved this one for you! Ai thought you would love it the most! It's special! And pretty like Mommy! Don't you love it?" Ai jumped up and down in front of her father. The fate that she just handed to her dad. The Red Fire Lily.

"Mommy isn't doing well. She always sad! Come on, Daddy! We have to get home!" She ran to the back of her dad, trying to untie the knot that rested on his wrists.

"My sweet little Ai." His tears started to fall. His death was put in the hands of his daughter. Destiny had a funny way of showing things. It was simple unfair. "I have to stay."

"Why is it that Mommy and Daddy both cry? Is it because Ai is bad?" She cupped his face in her small hands.

"No, Ai. Mommy and Daddy loves Ai very much. Daddy just can't go home." He attempted to put a smile on his face but failed miserably.

Ai's face frowned. She saw that the Fire Lord started too walked toward them. "Let my Daddy go!"She shouted at him.

The Fire Lord's eyes were confused, "Your Daddy?"

"Yes!" She pointed at her father, "My daddy! My mommy wants him back home! And he won't go! Remove the rope!"

"Oh my…" The Ruler was at a loose of words.

The guards got ready to fire their guns at Zuko. They awaited the order of their highness. The Fire Lord looked down to the little girl.

"Why is it that when Ai asks something no one does it! It is Ai's first command! And you do not want to do it?" She pouted up to the Fire Lord.

His eyes widened at what she said; and he looked at the confusing faces of his guards and the four men. His eyes trailed to his smiling brother. He closed his eyes and smiled down at her. She was right.

"The girl speaks the truth. Release them and let them go home."

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**I'm finisheddd! How you like it? Review! I was planning on making another chapter so it's more of Zuko and Katara on in the end! Thanks for reading! **

**By the way, I did not plagiarize! My friend said it was awfully like the story 'The Death Disk'. I'm not sure if that's the title! But I made this with my own mind and brain! So please! No accusations of doing the evil!**

**Thank you guys! Review! **

**And another thing! If you're wondering why Ai talks like that, it's because she's four!**

**Bye! 'Till next time! **

**~Shelly~**


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